British politicians and their guests have been drinking less from the Government’s official cellars over the past year.
The Government Wine Cellar, which is a real thing, has revealed in its annual report that consumption by volume has fallen by a massive 12%.
It’s not unusual to see MPs with a drink in pubs, whether it’s election season or not, so the statistics seem a bit surprising.
Tim Farron pulls a pint">(Victoria Jones/PA)Boris Johnson (centre) and Priti Patel pull pints of beer">(Stefan Rousseau/PA)
According to the report, the decline in consumption can be put down to a huge political event that took place in 2016: Brexit.
The decrease reportedly stems from there being less official receptions during the Brexit referendum, leaving the Government Wine Cellar with more stock than it’s used to housing.
Don’t feel too sorry for the alcohol-starved MPs, though, because there was a big increase in the cost of wine bought to replenish the stocks – with the average rising from £11 a bottle to £15, according to the report. The average price of a bottle served during Government events was £12.
Overall, politicians both from the UK and visiting from abroad, as well as other officials, managed to get through 3,261 bottles from the cellar’s reserves during 2016/17.
The politicians could do worse than taking some advice from the Government Wine Cellar, though.
The service funds itself by buying and selling high-value wines, as well as collecting payments from other Government departments, resulting in sales of more than £40,000 this year.
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